2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 19

I missed weeks 17 and 18 due to a personal tragedy. My grandmother passed away midweek the week of April 23rd. I'm still grappling with the loss of an amazing, kind, and creative woman that was an immense driving force in who I am today. It was unexpected and I only hope she knows how much I love her and how important she is to me.

It's definitely made me reevaluate how I interact with people I care about- I've been such a hermit over the last couple of years and I realize I have to reach out and stop hiding, even if it is my studio I take to when I feel like I need to check out from the world at large.

It's also made me aware that I should tell people what's going on with me so they don't think I am just avoiding them. We have to remove the stigma from mental illness- that's the only way we can heal as a society and as individuals.
I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for most of my adult life- in the last two/three years, it's gone up a few notches. I used to love big groups, concerts, festivals- now they send me into a panic attack. Small groups and one-on-ones have their own issues, and sometimes I just have to say it's ok to hide. Nanny would NOT have wanted me to live my life like this. I don't want to live my life like this. So, if you feel like I've avoided you or acted oddly around you, please don't think it's your fault.

Making things has been my life-line to staying involved with people. Teaching allows me to be kind of someone else. I become Teacher Brandy, and somehow I can deal better with all the scummy-brain stuff that keeps me awake all night, and I have confidence that slips away from me normally. 

I've been fortunate enough to have a wonderful group of friends (and family) that come to my classes and ask me to make special custom pieces for them. You guys have helped me more than you know.

This week's ring is not quite finished, but it is a custom piece for a wonderful lady that has been an amazing supporter of my work and I absolutely *love* making pieces for her- I know she falls in love with the stones just like I do. :) Labradorite supplied by her- silver by me. :) The back will have a cut out of a star after we do the sizing.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 16

This week's ring is a fine silver creeping raspberry leaf atop a 4mm wide plain rectangle band. the band is super comfortable and complements the excellent texture of the leaf, which has a light patina with greens, golds, and bronze tones to it.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 15

This statement ring is made with a cabochon from a (former) local Memphis artist (he's still around- just moved to the other side of TN). paired with a lovely sterling gallery wire and a simple wide band that keeps it securely in place, it's a solid ring, great for special occasions or everyday wear.

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 14

this Treasure Mountain turquoise is paired with sterling silver and gold fill. I like the mixed metals with the variety of colors in the stone.

(and yes, i did tap those prongs down a little more after this picture. I was just so excited with how it turned out!)

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 13

Featuring treasure mountain turquoise and a lovely little cast succulent, this is week 13 in my 52 week maker challenge. (shown on a lovely piece of wood that became an even more lovely pendant!)

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 12

I spent the evening of the spring equinox making- seemed fitting. This is the most recent ring in my 52 pieces challenge series. 

I call her The Oracle. A lovely cultured opal is set in a crown bezel. Fine silver planchettes flank the setting. The band is stamped with Yes, no, and goodbye, along with some fun stars. All Sterling and fine silver. Will be available in the etsy store soon!

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 10 &11

I was on vacation the first week of March, so I had to play catch up this week. Then I forgot to post, so here are weeks 10 and 11 in one post. :)

I'm teaching a class this saturday on alternative stone setting techniques, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to make some pieces and take photos for my hand outs- here are the two techniques I did- Faceted bezel set stones and 'Fenced' stones (i know there has to be a name for that kind of setting, but it reminds me of those old little wire fences people would have around their flowerbeds back in the day... )

Lab grown alexandrite set in sterling custom stepped bezel

Dichroic glass set in sterling with stamped band

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 9

This week's ring is also a simple one. I started out with 5 White Water turquoise mini nuggets stacking rings (as the plan) and wound up with only one after a variety of mishaps, including sticking a bur into my thumb.
But that's ok, i'll remake the tiny bezels and get the stack made this week.

i also finally made the scrying pendant i've had bounching around in my head for months and did my first stone-on-stone setting, so i would say it was a productive week. Even though some of it was frustrating, i learn from my mistakes.

I'm excited to be working on the instructions for my Bezel explorations class next month and for another step-by-step article for Metal Clay Today. :)

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - Week 8

Last week was filled with last minute work on my Halstead Maker's Challenge piece- it turned out pretty ok (although I crashed it on Saturday during class- i think the succulents survived)

This week's ring is nice and simple -it's a little infinity midi ring. not all pieces have to be 'works of art' and day to day rings are important to make too. so here it is :)

  

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - Week 7

This week's ring is kind of a dud only because there was some silver solder on my brick that I didn't see and it got on my pretty copper bezel wire and messed up the pattern. I guess that will teach me that I should always tap off my brick between silver and copper projects! The back of the stone is open though- it has a little shelf inside the bezel wire from square copper wire that the rounded back of the fossil sits on. I used my whetstone to flatten it out some so it wouldn't jab the finger, but the open back allows the ring to be lighter on the hand and I think it's a good technique to use when you have a stone that is irregular or interesting on the obverse. 

This is my new burl wood statement necklace- I cut the slice of wood from a chunk of burl, sanded it to make a nice smooth surface, shaped the edges and then oiled it to make the figuring pop. I created the frame in a minimalistic way to show off both sides of the wood- they're equally enchanting. The chain is handmade, but not by me. I have a front clasping toggle to make it very comfortable to wear. I'm not sure i'm going to be able to part with this one, but i am DEFINITELY going to be making more!

2018 ~ 52 ring challenge - week 3

Ok- this has been a frustrating week. I was supposed to go out of town for the 3-day weekend and spend some time communing with nature. I need it. I need to get down and take up close photos of turkey tails growing on fallen logs, bark textures from bare trees, black reaching branches silhouetted against a crisp blue winter sky. Unfortunately, mother nature had something else in mind and instead of heading out Friday night after work (Saturday morning if I was too tired), I worked from home Friday as I was iced in. I was outside trying to scrape the ice off my car when I watched a much larger, heavier vehicle go sliding through the intersection down from my house. After over 30 minutes of working on my car, and I still couldn't see through the windshield, I gave up. In time to watch another car go sliding past my house and fishtail as they tried to pull into the driveway across from me. I decided NAH..

So.. I was stuck at home. I made it out on Monday and wandered the gardens to get a little bit of nature (and I did at least get a few photos of cool textures and the Big Bugs were still out) And thankfully I worked some studio time in.

Unfortunately, snow moved in again and we got some serious little drifts here at the house. The street was completely covered and I again, enjoyed/cringed-at the sound of cars sliding down my street as I worked from home again today.

Week 3's rings:
1st set were technically done at the end of week 2 as I forgot I was doing this from Monday to Sunday- two men's bands done in 16 gauge sterling silver. they're high polished and quite shiny.

And the other 2-

Ring 1- Bronze cast piece (leaf impression) on hand stamped sterling rectangle band

Ring 2- Unicorn creations Dichroic glass satin finished bead, torch pinned in a sterling silver stamped 16 gauge U band. The bead (and two sterling side beads) spin around in the setting and the bead is reversible with lovely flashes of purple on both sides. The wire that holds it in the U frame was balled up with the bead in place with my Little Smith torch- I think this is the first time I've successfully pinned something with wire this thick.

And because I'm not *just* making rings in 2018, here are some other pieces I've made this year:

Small sterling nebula pendant. It's reversible. I'm trying to decide if I like it shiny or if it needs some patina.

Sterling and Bronze pendant- currently unnamed (but leaning towards Shattered).

The back is as fun as the front. The bronze bits are held in place by oversize textured prongs.

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - week 2

(Note- also back dated due to issues blogging from my phone and forgetting to do it when i was at a computer. lol)

Here's my ring for week 2 of my challenge:

Sterling silver with rainbow dichroic cabochon from Galaxy Glass (on etsy). I made it so it could be easily worn with stackers (as seen on my finger)

2018 ~ 52 rings challenge - week 1

(note- I backdated these as I had the rings made on time but forgot to post- going forward, they'll be accurately dated)

I've decided to do another annual challenge. Things have settled down on the travel front for work and I honestly shouldn't be traveling more than 3-4 times, at most, in 2018. I'm sad and happy about it. Sad, because I enjoyed those face paced, 24-hour turn around visits to random cities- exploring them in the middle of the night and sleeping on the plane coming home. It was like speed dating for cities. Pack as much interesting and local stuff into 17-36 hours as possible.

It's good that I'm not traveling like that because it allows me more time to plan my personal trips. I'm doing a class with Sarah Perkins in June and one with Victoria Lansford in July. I'm trying to decide what to do for my birthday this year, as the last few have pretty much been suxxors for various reasons- last year I was flying back from LA on my birthday and the year before, we were in Arizona with the kids and my aunt. And while my birthday itself was good, it felt really off too for some reason. the year before that was awkward for reasons I won't go into. And I get to go to a beach this year and actually do more than stare at it for 20 minutes and take some photos and scoop up a few shells. :)

So- since I think I'll be around, I'm going to try this 52 ring challenge- and if I make more than one ring in a week, I'm not going to save it for another week, unless it's because I'll be at a trade show or out of town.

Without further ado- here's what I made on New Year's Day.
1- larimar heart with fancy gallery wire and a wide, textured band
2- Mokume gane oval cab (made by me) set in plain silver bezel and on a thinner, pattern band
3- Mokume gane round cab (made by me) set in plain silver with a plain half round band
4- Tabasco geode from Mexico set in a plain silver bezel with a thin rectangle band

Creative Life 2016 - Week 19

I missed weeks 17 and 18. and by missed, I don't mean to say I wasn't making- thankfully this time. I just missed posting. And sure i could go back date a post, but that kind of feels like cheating.. so I'll just say that I made some awesome stuff last week (because I did- I made three epic bracelets as a custom order for someone) and I traveled last week (to Greensboro NC) and the week before that I was just pretty overwhelmed.

I went to an amazing Full Moon sacred woman's circle on the 22nd- it was epic- and it actually coincided with the full moon in Scorpio. I got some guidance from the experience and it gave me the nudge to start working on it. The Navigating Negativity group meeting the following Monday (25th) drove the point home even more. I have to let go of the habit of comparing myself to everyone else- as an artist, as a friend, as a person. I constantly berate myself because so-and-so is a better metalsmith than me, so why do I bother? Or this person is better at putting their words to paper or that person is more energetic. I have to stop tearing myself down. It doesn't help me, and it doesn't help the people thatI'mm supposed to be helping. Because i really do feel like my path in life is to help people, to teach people, to be kind to people and protect those without voices. (and to help/protect critters and nature)

So i spent week 17 working on that- and i guess technically, it's still part of my Creative Life journey- not everything i do, everything i achieve, has to have a physical result to show off.

I created my samples for my class coming up in June at the MBG- I'm going to teach folks how to make spiculums and stuff! it's pretty neat to take a flat piece of metal and have some pod, flower, weird things at the end of a few minutes of hammering. (the lotus took more than a few minutes...) i can't wait to add enamel to this stuff.. whole new level awesome.

Being a maker - 2015 wrap up

"Be truthful, one would say, and the result is bound to be amazingly interesting."
-Virginia Woolf "A Room of One's Own"

I have struggled with what is has meant to me to be an artist/maker and have an artistic voice my entire adult life. I have never felt like the 'artist' label fit me. I didn't think i was making things to make a statement (i later discovered that even when i thought i wasn't saying anything, i was) and i didn't feel like i had the skill level to call myself anything more than a dabbler. It was much easier when i was a child and the 'artist' label didn't have all the societal baggage that it does, although, even when i was little i knew that growing up to be an artist wasn't something i should aspire towards. It was somehow lesser. And i am still working through the mine field of self-worth, cultural worth, and 'productive member of society' definition that comes with all that- this post is about part of that journey.

For many years, i was afraid to make the things in saw in my mind and doodled in my books. They were weird, different, technically difficult or nonsense to wear. Even after being obsessed with haute couture for quite some time, i never thought that *i* could get away with making something like that. I struggled in my art classes at college because i always scaled it back, made it useful/wearable/relatable/normal/safe. I didn't have these grand 'meanings' behind my work. I didn't explore like many of my class mates. I kept things small, rigid and for a while, lacking in any artistic life.

Looking at my photography portfolio, the further i progressed in my studies, the worse my photos got. And looking back, that is because i wasn't being honest in my work. I was taking the photos i thought i should take, or the teacher thought i should take- not the ones i wanted to take. I was learning metal smithing techniques at this time as well, but the supplies and tools were pricey, and i was mostly self taught, so i was also playing it small and safe and trying to make things i thought would sell, instead of things i thought were awesome. I look back on my first jewelry piece that i made 'just because' with a mix of embarrassment and pride. Pride that i finally did something just because and embarrassment because it took so long and it was so bad. lol.

This year, thanks to the years of support from a very patient and encouraging partner combined with the influence of a very wonderful and dear artist friend, i have started pretty much exclusively making what i *want* to make- marketability be damned. :) And i was surprised at the overwhelming positive response from people purchasing my jewelry. There was a truth to my work- no artsy fartsy philosophical stuff (that i could never get into when i was in school, which also made me feel like a fraudulent artist), just me, the metal and the tools making something that captures a moment- whether that's how i felt about the song on the iPod, the weather or just me enjoying a new hammer.

I've also started selling my 'experiment' pieces, and they've been flying off to new homes. Previously, they would have been tucked away in a drawer or in a box, forgotten as i refined a technique, looked for better tools to do said technique, or set it aside as a failure for not 'being perfect'. I think people respond well to the lack of perfection. I'm not a goldsmith making shiny, traditional rings with a mirror finish and diamonds. I'm an art jeweler- making fun, funky and statement pieces from copper, silver, gemstones, pebbles, driftwood, rusted bits and vintage stuff. my perfection is found in the imperfection and individuality.

Now- that doesn't give me license to be sloppy, but it also means that i should not be spending 2 hours hand polishing a $20 pair of copper earrings to absolute perfection. Because then, they're not perfect anymore- they look manufactured and overworked and that's a huge turn-off.

I am looking forward to 2016 as the year i really come into my own. I have a cohesive line of jewelry and art now- when it's all spread out at a show, it flows. My displays, my work, me.. we are all in harmony. I'm also looking forward to getting back into photography. I pulled out my old portfolio and actually sold two pieces this month to someone who really wanted them. I'm going to be setting up the dark room and adding traditional B&W photos to my offerings- i haven't decided if i'm going to create a separate Etsy shop or just add them in for now. I'd like to work on incorporating some of the photos into reliquary style jewelry and into my larger wall pieces- i'm working on some ideas- look for in-progress blog posts next year. :)

Weekly challenge - Week 40 continued

I had a busy night last night! I got 4 spinner rings completed (smaller sizes both in width and ring size for those of you with dainty fingers!!) and 2 wider ones almost finished. These are all sterling silver (and gold- the bottom one in the pic has rose gold filled and yellow gold filled spinners). I need to get busy on some copper ones too so i'll have plenty for this weekend!

I also made some fancier stacking copper rings- the heavy gauge wire is great for adding texture- i love all these and am going to have to make myself a set when i have some down time (HAHAHAH!!!).

Master Metalsmith Linda Threadgill at the Metal Museum

The exhibit is amazing. It's up through December- get yourself there! My photos don't do it justice- the patterning is something that must be seen to truly appreciate. So much gorgeous, intricate texture. the natural forms are stunning. the flow is out of this world. i bought the catalog and i don't often do that. :) the leaf platters' textures are just WOW.. the hammered and the electroformed bits... so very cool. (words fail me i am so impressed by this exhibit- i loved the Eleanor Moty exhibit- this is on par with that one)

Weekly challenge - week 22

Hello June. This is for week 22 (may 31- June 6)

I found a bus in Hollywood Florida that i think would be perfect for my Mobile Metal Studio. It's a clean slate ready to be customized. And it is teal.

I've been doing some skill swaps with some friends of mine- metal for leather. I learned some basic tooling techniques last time the were over and this time I learned how to round and burnish edges. It was very zen. :) I like how this piece is coming together. Airchased  bronze with Latigo leather cuff.